Yes / Research on the correlations between design leadership, work values and ethics, and workplace innovation is lacking, especially in non-Western regions. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of design leadership in the relationship of work values and ethics with workplace innovation in Asian small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). Five hypotheses were established to explore the proposed model. Data were obtained from 995 SMEs in Japan, Thailand, China, and Vietnam and were examined using partial least squares analysis. The findings indicated a correlation between work values and ethics and design leadership, with the latter influencing workplace innovation across its four dimensions. This demonstrated the significant association between work values and ethics and workplace innovation. Design leadership was also shown to fully mediate the relationship between work values and ethics and workplace innovation in Asian SMEs. This study provides a deeper understanding of the emerging literature on the associations of design leadership, work values and ethics, and workplace innovation. It emphasizes the importance of design leadership and its correlations with various aspects of workplace innovation and work values and ethics, which have not received adequate attention in the existing literature. Asian SME entrepreneurs can improve the innovation capabilities of their organizations by focusing on and implementing design leadership behaviors, which may thereby help their organizations establish a competitive advantage and promote long-term sustainability.

This Masters Thesis explores the behaviour of Generation Y in the workplace and its impact on management innovation. It focuses mainly on research on the values, attitudes, specifics and needs of this generation in the work place and their potential impact on  management innovation. This work reveals the key parameters in the choice of future employer and also the best ways to motivate Generation Y representatives to work well. Results of the research show that there is a connection between applied management principles and job satisfaction of Generation Y representatives. Therefore, it will be necessary for the companies to deal with management innovations in a specific way to attract this generation. This Thesis shows positive examples of companies in the Czech Republic, which could become an inspiration for other employers and an ideal place for the career development of Generation Y representatives due to their management model, corporate culture and general approach to the Generation.

Bakgrunden till studien är det växande intresset för innovation, mer specifikt det som kallas arbetsplatsinnovation. Det handlar om en organisations implementering av nya kombinerade innovationer inom arbetsorganisation, HRM (Human Resource Management) och stödjande teknik. I forskningsvärlden har det funnits forskning inom området under lång tid även om det har varit underrepresenterat inom serviceyrken. Syftet med studien har varit att ytterligare öka förståelsen kring arbetsplatsinnovation. Detta genom att fokusera på de faktorer som främjar respektive motverkar ett innovativt arbetsklimat och att försöka identifiera vilka faktorer som ses som särskilt viktiga. Kunskap har hämtats in från teori och forskning på området. Empirisk data har samlats in genom kvalitativa intervjuer vilket har sammanställts och analyserats utifrån vår teoretiska referensram. Resultatet visade på ett antal faktorer som påverkat verksamheterna både utifrån ett  rämjade som ett motverkade perspektiv. De faktorer som sågs som särskilt viktiga, när det gäller främjande faktorer, visade sig vara stabil och trygg personal, idétid och närvarande ledarskap. När det gäller motverkande faktorer har det visat sig vara hög personalomsättning, oengagerad personal och centralstyrning är särskilt betydelsefulla. Utifrån empirin har ny kunskap framträtt, i förhållande till teorin och forskningen, att en stabil personalgrupp och hög personalomsättning har visat sig påverka verksamheter i den omfattningen att det inte kan viftas bort. / The background to this study is the growing interest in innovation, more specifically what is called workplace innovation. It involves an organization's implementation of new combined innovations within the organization of work, HRM (Human Resource Management) and supportive technology. In the research world, there has been research within the area for a long time, although it has been underrepresented within the service industry. The purpose of the study has been to further increase understanding of workplace innovation. This by focusing on the factors that promote or counteracts an innovative working climate and tries to identify which factors are considered to be particularly important. Knowledge has been taken from theory and research in the field. Empirical data has been collected through qualitative interviews, which have been compiled and analyzed based on our theoretical reference framework. The result showed a number of factors that influenced the activities both from a promoting as well as a counteracting perspective. The factors that were considered to be particularly important in terms of promotion factors were stable and safe personnel, idea time and present leadership. In terms of counteracting factors, it has been shown that there is high staff turnover, unattended personnel and central management are the most important. Based on empirical knowledge, new knowledge has emerged, in relation to theory and research, that a stable staff group and high staff turnover have been shown to affect activities to the extent that it cannot be wiped away.